The Greening of Anthocyanins: Eco-Friendly Techniques for Their Recovery from Agri-Food By-Products

In recent years, several steps forward have been made toward a more sustainable approach for the extraction of bioactive compounds from plant materials based on the application of green extraction principles. It is currently recognized that waste and by-products deriving from agriculture and food industries still contain a wide array of high value-added substances, which can be re-used to obtain new products with various applications in the food, supplement, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. Anthocyanins are a class of these valuable metabolites; they confer the red, violet, and blue color to fruits and vegetables, and scientific evidence has accumulated over the last few decades to support their beneficial effects on human health, in great part deriving from their powerful antioxidant capacity. This review provides a general overview of the most recent green procedures that have been applied for the recovery of anthocyanins from plant-derived wastes and by-products. The most widely used green solvents and the main sustainable techniques utilized for recovering this class of flavonoids from various matrices are discussed, together with the variables that mainly impact the extraction yield

Plant Secondary Metabolites: An Opportunity for Circular Economy

Moving toward a more sustainable development, a pivotal role is played by circular economy and a smarter waste management. Industrial wastes from plants offer a wide spectrum of possibilities for their valorization, still being enriched in high added-value molecules, such as secondary metabolites (SMs). The current review provides an overview of the most common SM classes (chemical structures, classification, biological activities) present in different plant waste/by-products and their potential use in various fields. A bibliographic survey was carried out, taking into account 99 research articles (from 2006 to 2020), summarizing all the information about waste type, its plant source, industrial sector of provenience, contained SMs, reported bioactivities, and proposals for its valorization. This survey highlighted that a great deal of the current publications are focused on the exploitation of plant wastes in human healthcare and food (including cosmetic, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and food additives). However, as summarized in this review, plant SMs also possess an enormous potential for further uses. Accordingly, an increasing number of investigations on neglected plant matrices and their use in areas such as veterinary science or agriculture are expected, considering also the need to implement "greener" practices in the latter sector

Supporting Material for: "NMR-based metabolomics for frauds detection and quality control of oregano samples"

Table S1. Summary of NMR experiments performed in order to elucidate the structure of salvianolic acid B. Sample was solubilized in CD3OD. Fig. S1 1H NMR spectrum obtained for apigenin (in fraction 114) solubilized in CD3OD. Fig. S2. 1H NMR spectrum obtained for rosmarinic acid (found in EtOAc fraction from Oregano vulgare) solubilized in CD3OD. Fig. S3 1H NMR spectrum obtained for thymol, and p-cymene (found in CHCl3 fraction from Oregano onites) solubilized in CD3OD. Fig. S4 1H NMR spectrum of salvianolic acid B solubilized in CD3OD. Fig. S5 NMR COSY spectrum of salvianolic acid B solubilized in CD3OD. Fig. S6 NMR HSQC spectrum of salvianolic acid B solubilized in CD3OD. Fig. S7 NMR HMBC spectrum of salvianolic acid B solubilized in CD3OD. Fig. S8 NMR J-res spectrum of salvianolic acid B solubilized in CD3OD. Fig. S9 A) S-plot from OPLS-DA model showing the most important spectral bins for the discrimination between the two commercial species of oregano. B) Result of the permutation test of the OPLS-DA model. C) Loading column plot from OPLS-DA model. Fig. S10 Main biomarkers found in this work. Fig. S11. PCA score scatter plot where unknown species (green dots) are distinguished from marketable oregano and placed as outliers by the model. Fig. S12 Extended regions of observed vs predicted plots from OPLS models (y = % of total impurity) of A) Origanum vulgare B) Origanum onites. Fig. S13 Graphic obtained by permutation test of the OPLS model built using as y variable the % of cistus contamination. Fig. S14 J-res spectra of Oregano contaminated with cistus (A) and pure oregano (B). The contaminated sample presents a singlet at δ 3.57.Supplementary material for: Mandrone, M., Marincich, L., Chiocchio, I., Petroli, A., Gođevac, D., Maresca, I.,& Poli, F. (2021). NMR-based metabolomics for frauds detection and quality control of oregano samples. Food Control, Elsevier., 127, 108141. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2021.108141]Published version of the manuscript: [https://cer.ihtm.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/4550]The peer-reviewed version: [https://cer.ihtm.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/4577

Ion-Channel Antiepileptic Drugs: An Analytical Perspective on the Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM) of Ezogabine, Lacosamide, and Zonisamide

The term seizures includes a wide array of different disorders with variable etiology, which currently represent one of the most important classes of neurological illnesses. As a consequence, many different antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are currently available, exploiting different activity mechanisms and providing different levels of performance in terms of selectivity, safety, and efficacy. AEDs are currently among the psychoactive drugs most frequently involved in therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) practices. Thus, the plasma levels of AEDs and their metabolites are monitored and correlated to administered doses, therapeutic efficacy, side effects, and toxic effects. As for any analytical endeavour, the quality of plasma concentration data is only as good as the analytical method allows. In this review, the main techniques and methods are described, suitable for the TDM of three AEDs belonging to the class of ion channel agents: ezogabine (or retigabine), lacosamide, and zonisamide. In addition to this analytical overview, data are provided, pertaining to two of the most important use cases for the TDM of antiepileptics: drug–drug interactions and neuroprotection activity studies. This review contains 146 references

Threat or treat: Exposure assessment and risk characterisation of chemical contaminants in soft drinks and chocolate bars in various Polish population age groups

Abstract In the frame of the European Food Risk Assessment (EU‐FORA) fellowship programme, two studies on chemical contaminants in food matrices were carried out in Warsaw, Poland, at the Department of Food Safety and Chemical Analysis, Institute of Agricultural and Food Biotechnology. The first study addressed health concerns about the dietary exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) contamination due to consumption of soft drink by Polish population. BPA is an organic additive used in the production of epoxy resins and polycarbonate plastics and because of this it is used in the internal coating of cans and in plastic bottle production. Depending on several factors, BPA can migrate from these materials to the soft drink and so, it can be ingested by consumers causing hormonal and reproductive disorders. To estimate the Polish population exposure to BPA, several soft drinks belonging to different brands were purchased from a supermarket in the city of Warsaw and analysed. The result of the analysis highlight that mean BPA exposure in the Polish population exceeds the tolerable daily intake proposed by the EFSA scientific opinion, raising health concerns. On the other hand, the second study, focused on cadmium exposure due to chocolate consumption by Polish population, did not raise any health concern. Cadmium is a heavy metal that naturally occurs in its inorganic form in the environment and its presence in chocolate derives only from the cocoa beans and not from contamination during processing. Its accumulation in the human body can create several adverse effects, including renal dysfunction and failure. To estimate the Polish population exposure to cadmium, several chocolate bars were purchased from a supermarket in the city of Warsaw and analysed. The results of the analysis show that cadmium exposure in the Polish population does not exceed the tolerable weekly intake proposed by the EFSA scientific opinion

Metabolomic Study of Dactylis glomerata Growing on Aeolian Archipelago (Italy)

The Aeolian Islands (Italy) are a volcanic archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea comprising seven main islands, among which are two active volcanoes. The peculiar geological features and the wide variety of environments and soils have an important impact on native plants, and in particular, the Aeolian populations of Dactylis glomerata (a perennial cool-season bunchgrass) exhibit remarkable phenotypic variability. Considering that environmental drivers also strongly affect the production of plant metabolites, this work aimed at comparing the metabolomic profiles of D. glomerata (leaves) harvested at different altitudes on four islands of the Aeolian archipelago, namely: Lipari, Vulcano, Stromboli and Panarea. Samples were analyzed by 1H NMR profiling, and data were treated by PCA. Samples collected on Stromboli were very different from each other and from the samples collected in the other islands. Through an OPLS model, using altitude as the y variable, it emerged that the concentration of proline, glycine betaine, sucrose, glucose and chlorogenic acid of D. glomerata growing on Stromboli decreased at increasing altitude. Conversely, increasing altitude was associated with an increment in valine, asparagine, fumaric acid and phenylalanine

Free and Conjugated Phenolic Profiles and Antioxidant Activity in Quinoa Seeds and Their Relationship with Genotype and Environment

The nutraceutical interest in quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) seeds is associated with the presence of macronutrients, micronutrients, minerals, vitamins, and polyphenols. In particular, polyphenols contribute to the health-promoting effects of this food crop, and their levels are influenced by environmental conditions. Production of quinoa is recently being explored in temperate climate areas, including Italy. The aim of this research was to assess the profile of bioactive compounds in seeds of two quinoa varieties, Regalona-Baer and Titicaca, grown in northern Italy, compared to that of seeds of those varieties grown in Chile and Denmark, respectively. High-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) analysis of phenolic acid and flavonoid profiles, both in their free and soluble conjugated forms, showed that the main differences between Regalona grown in Chile and Italy were for the free vanillic acid and daidzein contents, while the two Titicaca samples mainly differed in quercetin derivative levels. The total phenolic index was comparable in Titicaca and Regalona, and only a slight decrease in this parameter was found in seeds of the two varieties grown in Italy. The in vitro antioxidant activity of seed extracts, evaluated by means of three different assays, indicated that it correlated with flavonol (quercetin derivative) levels. In conclusion, the results indicate that, although environmental conditions alter the polyphenolic profile and biological activities, it is possible to grow good-quality quinoa in northern Italy

OEMONOM: Open access Educational Materials On Naturally Occurring Molecules - sources, biological activity and use

Background: Natural compounds have always attracted interest due to their potential effects on human being. Their use is widespread and is rather rising due to false belief that they are always better and safer than conventional drugs. The prepared materials should hence reportg both positive and negative aspects of natural compounds used for several commonly used indications (infections, menopause and gynaecological problems, benign prostatic hyperplasia, cough, cardiovascular diseases, CNS, skin and GIT disorders), as well as of vitamins and sympathomimetics, according to the most recent scientific evidence. Special materials will be also prepared for their interactions with conventional drugs. Summary: The Open access Educational Materials on Naturally Occurring Molecules \u2013 sources, biological activity and use (OEMONOM) project targets at preparation of comprehensible, free and easily available materials for professionals, students of biomedicinal disciplines as well as lay persons in relation to the effect of natural compounds on human health. The project arose from collaboration of 8 European universities and will be available in 8 native languages of participating universities (Czech, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Portuguese, Slovak and Slovene). Materials will be prepared by common work of experts from different fields (pharmacologists, pharmacognostics, toxicologists, microbiologists, analytical chemists and E-learning experts)

2bRAD reveals fine-scale genetic structuring among populations within the Mediterranean zoanthid Parazoanthus axinellae (Schmidt, 1862)

The zoanthid Parazoanthus axinellae (Schmidt, 1862) is a widespread coral species in the Mediterranean coralligenous assemblages where two morphotypes are found: Slender and Stocky, differing in size, color, and preferred substrate. Due to these marked differences, Slender and Stocky morphotypes were hypothesized to be two species. Here, we used 2bRAD to obtain genome-wide genotyped single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to investigate the genetic differentiation between Slender and Stocky morphs, as well as their population structure. A total of 101 specimens of P. axinellae were sampled and genotyped from eight locations along the Italian coastline. In four locations, samples of the two morphotypes were collected in sympatry. 2bRAD genome-wide SNPs were used to assess the genetic divergence between the two morphotypes (1319 SNPs), and population connectivity patterns within Slender (1926 SNPs) and Stocky (1871 SNPs) morphotypes. Marked and consistent differentiation was detected between Slender and Stocky morphotypes. The widely distributed Slender morphotype showed higher population mixing patterns, while populations of the Stocky morphotype exhibited a stronger genetic structure at a regional scale. The strong genetic differentiation observed between P. axinellae Slender and Stocky morphotypes provides additional evidence that these morphs could be attributed to different species, although further morphological and ecological studies are required to validate this hypothesis. Our study highlights the importance of resolving phylogenetic and taxonomic disparities within taxonomically problematic groups, such as the P. axinellae species complex, when performing genetic connectivity studies for management and conservation purposes.[GRAPHICS